


Beauty

by mikeymagee



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 06:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5487533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeymagee/pseuds/mikeymagee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe visits Finn's hospital bed with a small flower...a gift of beauty for one who is still learning its meaning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty

What killed Poe the most—more than Kylo Ren’s torture, more than the loss of his X-Wing, more than the idea of never being able to fly again—was the fact that Finn had probably never really known what beauty was.

This man, this good, strong man, who had grown up like a droid in a factory. Without warmth to shield his heart. Without goodness to nurture his mind. Without freedom to explore his possibilities, and yet Finn was…Finn. A good natured, well-meaning, brave hero who smiled at the thought of extra dessert in the mess hall, and listened to Poe’s stories about Yavin.

And at night, when it was time for them to turn in, Poe would wrap his arms around Finn’s arms, and gently squeeze. Finn would tense, as if he did not know what he was supposed to do next. Was he aloud to embrace back? Was he even aloud to look Poe in the eyes. Sometimes, Poe could sense, Finn wouldn’t even allow himself the pleasure of a simple embrace.

“Finn,” Poe said one evening, during his visit to Finn’s hospital bed after flight practice. The X-squadron had just finished drills, and Finn was still recovering from Kylo Ren’s attack. Granted, he was doing better, he could even move if he wanted…but recovery was still underway. “I want to show you something.”

Poe reached into his jacket, and pulled out a small tulip. Its stem reached all the way down to his forearm, and its petals sprung skyward, blue and brilliant like the skies Finn loved to gaze at.

Finn gently sat up from his bed, a little too quickly, his comforters and sheets shuffled beneath his skin. “Is that…a flower?” Finn’s voice perked to another octave as he spoke, almost like a child who was too excited to keep to composure.

“It sure is,” Poe said as he walked forward. “I saw it on my way here…and thought a’ you.” Poe placed the tulip on Finn’s bedside. “When you’ve got a friend in the hospital, you give them flowers.” He shrugged, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible, perhaps Finn would not notice. “Just a little somethin’ we do around here.”

And Poe knew, from the stories Finn had told him, that flowers at the bedside were nothing but a myth to Stormtroopers. Sure, they had heard of it, but it wasn’t something that was taken seriously. When your comrade was hurt, you ignored them until they healed, and restored their worth to the First Order. Something Finn could never abide by…but had no choice in the matter.

For Finn—or rather FN-2187—beauty was only an aspect that could come with subjugation. Those who did not obey, were deemed ugly. Those who refused were deemed ill-fit for the Order’s magnificence.

And what made Poe angry the most, what absolutely burned his soul, was that to Finn…those teachings were still true. Finn, who had abandoned his designation, and run off into a world he knew nothing of. Finn, who had been branded a traitor by the very soldiers he used to fight alongside. Finn, who knew the true meaning of courage. Finn, who fought in the face of impossible odds, all to protect the people he cared for. Finn, who gazed out into the world, and could barely even register his own name as something that was truly his. Somewhere in Finn’s own mind…he believed himself to be ugly.

This man whose soul was cleaner than anything Poe could hope to hold onto.

“I’ve never been given a flower before.” Finn picked the tulip up and placed it to his nose. And took a deep, deep breath. His shoulders hunched, his mind numbed, his eyes began to tear. “T-this is…” he paused, struggling to find the words, “…so beautiful.”

And Poe gently placed his hands on Finn’s shoulder, “And so are you.”


End file.
